Mending Fences
by suzie2b
Summary: There are different kinds of fences.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Mending Fences**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Troy and Moffitt walked into the mess hall for breakfast before an early meeting concerning their last mission. They got their food and found Tully sitting alone finishing a cup of tea. The sergeants sat down and Troy said, "Thought you'd be gone by now."**

 **Tully smiled. "I'm headin' for the motor pool as soon as I finish my tea."**

 **Troy said, "I thought you were more of a morning coffee type of person."**

" **Usually I am, but I like to change things up once in a while."**

 **Troy swallowed a forkful of powdered scrambled eggs and then reached for the salt and pepper. "Just make sure you watch the time. I don't want to have to tell Captain Boggs you've gone AWOL."**

 **Tully set the empty mug on the tray. "Don't worry, sarge. I'll be back before the end of the day tomorrow."**

 **Moffitt smiled and said, "It's really very nice of you to help Akhil out with his fencing. A man of his years shouldn't have to work that hard."**

" **And it doesn't help that he's got a broken leg. When I saw his wife Tahira at the market, and she told me he was hobbling around trying to fix the pens so their goats wouldn't keep escaping, I just had to do something. Luckily we snagged a few days off so I figured I'd head over there."**

" **When does their son return?"**

 **Tully replied, "Next week sometime."**

 **Troy said, "Too bad we've got a briefing or we'd go along."**

 **Moffitt said, "Perhaps Hitch would care to join you."**

" **I haven't seen him since we got back."**

 **Tully stood up and grinned as he picked up his tray. "I think he's trying to avoid you, sarge. You were pretty upset with him."**

 **Troy shook his fork at the private. "He was supposed to be right where I left him when I came out. I thought something had happened to him, but he was talking to some girl across the street. So yeah, I read him the riot act."**

 **Tully chuckled and said, "I'll check in with you when I get back."**

" **See that you do. Now get out of here."**

 **##################**

 **Tully had just loaded the last of the supplies into the jeep when Hitch appeared. "Where've you been? I was lookin' for ya."**

 **Hitch said, "I've been staying out of Troy's way."**

" **You know he's not mad at you anymore."**

" **I just want to make sure he's had plenty of time to cool off. I heard you're going out to Akhil's place to do some work. Want some company?"**

 **Tully slid in behind the wheel as he said, "Sure, but you'd better let Troy or Moffitt know you're coming along."**

 **Hitch got into the passenger seat. "I slid a note under their door at the barracks."**

 **Tully laughed as he started the jeep. "Coward."**

 **Akhil and Tahira's tiny farm was two hours south of Ras Tanura and nowhere near enemy lines. The elderly couple and their adult son Numa, raised goats for their milk to make cheese to sell at the market along with homegrown vegetables. They were able to make a modest income and were comfortable. The Rat Patrol had met the family when they stopped in hopes of getting water from their well. One thing led to another and they all ended up friends.**

 **Unfortunately though, Akhil had taken a nasty spill, breaking his ankle, while Numa was away buying five young goats to replace those that were getting to old to give enough milk.**

 **##################**

 **The two hours passed quickly and when the jeep pulled up at the small house, Tahira greeted Hitch and Tully with open arms. "Welcome! I am so glad you have come!"**

 **Hitch and Tully each hugged the old woman gently and Tully said, "I told you I'd be here and Hitch decided to come along to help."**

" **You are such good friends to help us while Numa is away. Come … come in and say hello to Akhil."**

 **They went into the house and found Akhil sitting on a wooden chair with his broken leg elevated on a low stool. The old man gave them a grin that showed that he was missing some teeth and said, "Thank you, my friends! When Tahira told me that you were coming to help, I was overjoyed!"**

 **Tully said, "Happy to help. Where are the pens that need fixin'?"**

 **Akhil started to get up as he said, "I will show you."**

 **Hitch said quickly, "Stay put. Just tell us where they are and we'll take care of the rest."**

 **Akhil eased himself back down with a soft groan, then said, "The pens are out back along with everything you will need. We have had to tie all the goats up so they cannot escape. Believe me, they are not happy."**

 **Tully smiled. "Can't say I blame 'em, but we should have things fixed up in no time."**

 **Hitch and Tully worked steadily until Tahira had them stop for lunch. Then it was back to work until dark and dinner time.**

 **After an excellent meal, Tahira said, "I have made up Numa's room for you. The mattress is large and the blankets warm."**

 **##################**

 **It wasn't the first time Hitch and Tully had woken next to each other, it wasn't even the first time they'd shared blankets … however, it was the first time Hitch had awoke with Tully's arm flung over him. Forgetting where he was and thinking the arm belonged to a lady friend, Hitch nudged Tully with one foot and said softly, "Good morning, beautiful."**

 **Tully mumbled sleepily, "Morin', sweetheart."**

 **Then the two privates sudden came fully awake and realized what was going on. They both gasped and rolled away from each other onto the floor. Luckily the thick straw mattress was already on the floor so they didn't fall far.**

 **Hitch rolled to his knees and quickly said, "Sorry!"**

 **Tully lay on the floor on his back. "What just happened?"**

" **Nothing … absolutely nothing!"**

" **Okay, that's what I thought."**

 **After a tasty Arabic breakfast, Hitch and Tully went out to work on the last of the four pens that needed repairs. As they worked,** **Akhil and Tahira began the project of milking the goats that were in the two finished pens.**

 **Akhil called happily from his low stool, "You have done a wonderful job, my friends!"**

 **Tully called back, "Thanks, Akhil! We should be done here by midday!"**

 **Sure enough, the last nail was driven in just before noon. Tahira refused to let them leave before eating lunch. So, it was nearly 1:30 when they started back to base.**

 **##################**

 **About halfway back Olive began to sputter. Hitch and Tully looked at each other as Tully pulled up next to a rocky hill. Steam began to billow from under the hood and they got out.**

 **Tully said, "I checked her before we left and everything was fine." He pushed the hood up and fanned the steam away. "Better let it cool down a bit first."**

 **Hitch said, "Probably a hose let loose."**

 **Tully nodded as he looked around. "At least we're not in enemy territory. We can give it a half-hour."**

 **Fifteen minutes later Hitch was watching Tully pick through his box of spare parts. Suddenly a loud crack split the silent desert air. Hitch gave a yell and went down. Tully grabbed his friend and dragged him along as he ducked down next to the jeep, putting the hill at their back. There was another shot, which ricocheted off Olive's raised hood.**

 **Hitch pushed himself up to lean on the jeep and slid his belt off. Tully took it and quickly wrapped it tightly above the bleeding wound in Hitch's left thigh. Then he crawled toward the front of the jeep to get the machine gun from its holster. As Tully pulled it out, another bullet hit the hood and barely missed his hand. He quickly moved back to Hitch and tried to see where the shooting was coming from. "I don't see anyone."**

 **Two more shots had Tully ducking back down and Hitch said, "What were you saying about not being in enemy territory?"**

" **I guess I should've been more specific. How's your leg?"**

" **Hurts some, but it looks like the bleeding has pretty much stopped." Hitch saw movement at the top of the hill and yelled, "Tully, behind you!"**

 **Tully spun on his knees as Hitch pointed at an Arab taking aim at them. A quick burst from the machine gun killed the Arab, sending him rolling down the hill almost into the Americans laps. Tully quickly checked for a pulse and found none. He picked up the rifle and handed it to Hitch. "Think he's the only one?"**

 **Several bullets bounced off the jeep and Hitch said, "Taking a guess, I'd say no."**

 **Suddenly bullets began to blanket the area around the jeep and zipped over Hitch and Tully's heads to hit the hillside. All they could do was stay down and watch the hill above them so no one could sneak up on them.**

 **After a full minute, it went quiet. Another minute passed and Hitch whispered, "Think they're gone or reloading?"**

 **Tully said, "Let's find out." He took his helmet off and put in on the end of his machine gun. Then he hoisted it up and waited. Seconds later a bullet ricocheted off the helmet, sending in spinning. Tully quickly lowered it and looked at the ding the bullet had made. "Reloading."**

" **What're we going to do?"**

" **Not much we can do except hope they get bored with us and leave." Tully saw the pain in Hitch's eyes and decided there was one thing he** _ **could**_ **do. He scooted over and looked up at the edge of the jeep, knowing the med kit and canteens were within reach inside. The problem was he'd have to stand up to get to them.**

 **Hitch realized what his friend was going to do and said, "Tully, no!"**

 **At that moment Tully stood up and grabbed the med kit and reached for two of the canteens. Bullets began to fly, forcing him to quickly duck down again. He set the med kit aside and reached up for the canteens that were now hanging over the side of the jeep. Tully gave them a pull, but discovered the straps were tangled and caught on something. He took his knife from its sheath and cut the straps.**

 **As Tully crawled back, Hitch said angrily, "Are you crazy? You could've been killed!"**

 **With his heart racing Tully sat next to Hitch again and said, "But I wasn't. Now let's do something about your leg."**

 **As Tully cut the material away below the belt, Hitch asked, "Think there's a chance you could get to the radio?"**

" **I thought about it, but I noticed several bullet holes in it while I was up there." Tully slowly loosened the belt and blood started to flow. He tightened it again just enough to stop the bleeding, thinking the bullet might've hit the artery. Tully started to clean the wound in Hitch's leg as he said, "I told Troy and Moffitt I'd be back by the end of the day. We're just gonna have to wait until they miss us."**

 **Hitch grimaced and hissed with pain. "It hit the artery, didn't it?"**

 **Tully glanced up at him. "Might've nicked it, but the bleeding is under control. You've just gotta sit still."**

 **After Tully bandaged the wound, he gave Hitch a shot of morphine.**

 **##################**

 **It was getting late when Troy walked to the motor pool. His privates hadn't yet reported in and he wanted to see if Tully's jeep was there. He was hoping they just hadn't got to him yet.**

 **However, instead of two jeeps, Troy found Moffitt in the motor pool leaning on Bertha. "Are you wondering where they are too?"**

 **Moffitt nodded. "They should be back by now. It's going to be dark in an hour."**

" **I checked with headquarters before I came here. There's been no word."**

" **It's not like Tully to not radio in if he's going to be later than expected."**

 **Troy sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this."**

 **Moffitt looked at his friend and said, "You and me both. Perhaps we should go take a look for them."**

 **Troy shook his head and replied, "Like you said, it's going to be dark soon. We could drive right past them and never know it. Let's just hope they get back here before morning."**

 **##################**

 **Just before the sun disappeared, there was another attack. As bullets flew, Tully realized the majority of them were hitting the still opened engine compartment. Then darkness settled in and things got quiet again. He looked at Hitch, who had missed it all due to another dose of morphine. At least the pain was under control along with the bleeding.**

 **Eventually, Tully used the match he'd been moving from one corner of his mouth to the other to light up the face of his watch. It had been over an hour since the shooting stopped. Using his helmet on the end of the machine gun, Tully again pushed it up into the open, knowing there was enough moonlight that it would be seen if the Arabs were still there. Nothing happened and all remained quiet.**

 **Tentatively, Tully got to his knees and peeked over the edge of the jeep. Still nothing happened. He stood up, preparing to have to throw himself down again, but no bullets pierced the darkness. Taking a chance and the machine gun, Tully scaled the hillside. At the top all he could see in the moonlight was empty desert.**

 **Relieved, Tully slid back down the hill. He quickly found a flashlight and gathered blankets before he again joined Hitch. Tully was wrapping his friend in blankets when Hitch opened his eyes and asked, "What's going on?"**

 **Tully said quietly, "They're gone." He stood and went to the front of the jeep and shined the flashlight into the engine compartment. Things were a mess.**

 **Hitch watched the light move over the engine through the crack where the hood and body met, then questioned, "How's she look?"**

" **Hoses are all shot up. There's holes in the radiator. Spark plugs are damaged, but it looks like the block's been spared."**

" **Can you fix it?"**

 **Tully shook his head. "I don't think I have enough spare parts, but I'll know more in the morning." Then he went to drag the dead Arab's body a good distance from the jeep, knowing that the scavengers would take care of it.**

 **As the night wore on, Hitch developed a fever. Tully laid his friend down and elevated his feet. He went to get a water can out of the back of the jeep and discovered they'd all been hit by bullets. He sighed and carefully checked them, noting the water level in each, which wasn't a lot. Tully filled all of the canteens with what water was in the cans.**

 **##################**

 **It was a long, cold night. Tully had used all the blankets he had to keep Hitch warm and there was nothing to make a fire out of. He had to get up to move around once in a while to keep his circulation going and stay awake.**

 **Tully hadn't realized he'd dozed off until his eyes opened when Hitch groaned. He rubbed his tired face and put some water on a kerchief to press against Hitch's fevered brow. Tully whispered to his incoherent friend, "Sun's comin' up. Troy and Moffitt will come lookin' for us soon."**

 **Hitch mumbled, "Troy won't come for me."**

" **Why wouldn't he come for you?"**

" **Messed up. Still mad."**

 **Tully said, "He'll come, Hitch. They'll both come."**

 **To keep himself busy, Tully fashioned a lean-to to keep the sun off of Hitch and then worked on Olive's damaged engine. He had one spare hose, which he used to change out the worst one. He used two rolls of plastic tape to "fix" some of the other damage. Tully was going to start on the radiator when he realized there wouldn't be enough water to fill it even halfway. Plus there were two flat tires and only one spare. Worry for Hitch, frustration, and lack of sleep had given him a headache, so he decided to take a break.**

 **Tully went back to sit in the shade next to Hitch and after taking a drink, he put some water on the kerchief to wipe his sick friend's face down. Occasionally, Hitch would mumble something about Troy and how sorry he was about angering the sergeant. Tully would continually reassure Hitch that Troy was no longer angry, but it did no good. In Hitch's fevered mind the friendship was broken.**

 **##################**

 **Moffitt spotted the jeep next to the hill as they sped across the desert with Troy at the wheel. As they neared, there was no sign of their privates. As Troy and Moffitt got out, they could see that the other jeep had been in some kind of firefight.**

 **Silently, Moffitt pointed to the vultures that were picking at the Arab's body. Troy started to move and Moffitt stopped him, saying, "That's not Tully or Hitch. It's, or was, an Arab judging by the robes."**

 **They quickly walked around the jeep to see Hitch under a lean-to and Tully leaning against the side of the jeep next to him.**

 **Troy knelt, shook Tully gently, and the private came awake fighting. "Easy, Tully! It's me, Troy."**

 **Tully immediately calmed and looked at the sergeant groggily. "You're here."**

 **Troy smiled slightly. "Yeah, Moffitt and I are both here. What happened?"**

 **Tully looked over at Moffitt, who was checking on Hitch, and said, "The jeep was acting up so we pulled over here to check her out. Some Arabs showed up and started shooting at us. Hitch got hit in the leg and we were pinned down all day. I did the best I could, but I think the bullet might've nicked the artery and I think he's got an infection."**

 **Moffitt nodded as he put a hand on Hitch's forehead. "He's got quite a fever."**

 **Those Arabs shot up the engine. I was tryin' to fix it up enough to drive back to base, but…"**

 **Troy said, "We brought some spare parts in hopes you two had just had a breakdown of some kind. Why didn't you radio for help?"**

 **They stood up together and Tully pointed to the radio. "It got hit at least three times, sarge."**

 **Moffitt said, "We need to get Hitch to a doctor as soon as possible."**

 **Troy nodded. "There's a box of parts in the jeep, Tully. Check it out and see if you've got what you need to make the jeep drivable. Moffitt and I will load Hitch into the back of the other one."**

 **Troy and Moffitt made Hitch as comfortable as possible and Troy asked, "Well, do you think you can make it run?"**

 **Tully nodded. "Yeah, with some water and your spare tire, I can get her goin'. But Hitch can't wait."**

 **Moffitt said, "Troy can take Hitch back to base and help. I'll stay here with you."**

 **Tully looked at his wounded friend, then at Troy, "He thinks you're still mad at him."**

 **Troy looked at Hitch. "Why would he think that? That's done and over with."**

" **I don't know, sarge. Maybe it's just the fever talkin'."**

 **##################**

 **It was nearly three days before Hitch was well enough to finally wake up. His head was foggy when he opened his eyes and he had to blink several times before things came into focus. Troy was sitting next to his bunk playing solitaire. Hitch's voice was barely a whisper when he said, "Sarge…"**

 **Troy looked up and smiled. "About time you woke up. How're you feeling?"**

" **Okay, I guess. Where are we?"**

" **Hospital at Ras Tanura. You had us worried."**

 **Hitch yawned and said, "Sorry. Where's Tully?"**

 **Troy said, "Working on the jeep in the motor pool. Those Arabs really did a number on it."**

" **So he got her running?"**

" **Eventually. Moffitt and I found you two the next morning when you hadn't gotten back. I brought you back here and Moffitt stayed to help Tully get the jeep going good enough to limp back here."**

 **Troy and Hitch fell silent and the sergeant thought his friend had fallen asleep. He went back to his cards, but a minute later Troy heard Hitch ask, "Sarge, are you still mad at me?"**

 **Troy had a feeling this matter would come up. "No, Hitch, I'm not mad. Yes, I was upset when the incident happened, but not now. Not even when you left with Tully. But I swear, the next time I tell you to stay put you'd better not move more than an inch before I get back. Hear me?"**

 **Hitch managed a wane smile. "I hear you. When do I get outta here?"**

" **Not until your fever's gone. You've been pretty sick for the last few days."**

" **I don't remember much after I got shot."**

 **Troy smiled. "I'm sure Tully will be glad to tell you all about it. Now, get some rest."**

 **Hitch slowly nodded and let his eyes slide close. As he slipped into comfortable sleep, he heard Troy shuffle the cards.**


End file.
